A San Diego Comic Con 2014 Experience!

I was very happy to be attending San Diego Comic Con for my second year in a row. This year I had a pass for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (as opposed to just Sunday like in 2013). I had my eyes set on doing/seeing as much as I could but knew I’d have to make sacrifices.

Friday: The first dilemma of the Con hit me like a brick when I had to choose between the Game of Thrones and Orphan Black panels. While they weren’t at the same time, I knew I would feasibly be able to do only one, and because I didn’t line up in the Hall H line overnight, I sadly wiped away my tears on missing the Game of Thrones panel. I was really adamant on seeing Tatiana Maslany and the rest of the Orphan Black cast, so the first thing I did when I got to the Con was to post up in Room 6A where Orphan Black would be at 6:40pm. It was currently 10am. If you think I’m crazy, there were others in that hot, sweaty room waiting too, jostling in between each panel to get a better seat. It was cutthroat.

Luckily for me though, I was able to sit through six other panels before OB came. First up was Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit, Ant-Man, Lost fame). She was promoting her children’s book, which looked creepy and fun and seemed like she put a lot of effort into it. I personally adore Evangeline Lilly and think she is great. So, I am willing to check out her children’s book. You should too! It’s called the Squickerwonkers.

Next up were two cartoon shows: My Little Pony and Gravity Falls. I had NO idea there was such a crazy fan base for both. I had never even heard of Gravity Falls, which stars the voices of Jason Ritter and Kristen Schaal. Girls, bronies, parents and more were going crazy for these two animated shows. It was shocking to see how invested these fans were in the upcoming plots and seasons of each show. The actors did the voices of their characters and people went wild. Maybe I’ll have to check out one of these shows?!

Next up was Bates Motel! I was pleasantly surprised because I very much wanted to go this panel as well and thought it was in another room for some reason. Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Nestor Carbonell, Olivia Cooke, Carlton Cuse, and Kerry Ehrin were all present. They talked a lot about season two and showed these awesome videos that were hilarious, including Freddie Highmore dubbing over the show in Spanish himself! Also, they showed fake auditions clips of each of the actors. It was a great time and Season Three looks like it’ll be a promising one!

The much anticipated Outlander was next. Show creator Ronald Moore was wearing a kilt and playing to the fans. Most of the questions were for book author Diana Gabaldon, who seemed reserved. Actually, the whole cast seemed awed and quieted by the screaming fans. This is their first Comic Con after all and maybe the rampant craziness was subduing them. The show/clips looked great though and I’d be interested to check out the show.

Vikings was next, but I had to excuse myself to go to the bathroom. But from what I saw, the show looks great and intense and the cast was really fun and into the fans. I want to watch the show now.

But finally, Orphan Black’s time arrived! The room was filled to the brim with screaming fans, tons were dressed up as various Tatiana Maslany characters. While we didn’t see any clips, a lot of the fans got to interact with the cast and share their stories. It was quite emotional and I teared up myself listening to one girl’s story about how the show saved her life. Tatiana and the rest of the cast looked very touched as well. Many of the audience members gave gifts to Tatiana, including a really cool Russian Clone Doll. Very cool. The cast was all so genuine and nice and couldn’t wait for us to see next season, without giving anything away.

By this time, the security had learned how to handle the moments after a panel, and soon they started lining up in front of the stage to block people from attempting to get autographs. It was sad, but people tried anyways and the cast was a good sport. I was glad to just witness first hand the great talent that is every actor on this show. Seriously, check it out if you don’t watch it yet!

So that was my Friday. The rest of the con I spent walking the floor and seeing various exhibits outside and around. I did the Game of Thrones: Survive the Realm Experience which showcased costumes/props and allowed you to take a GIF with a dragon, a picture on the Iron Throne, and also experience the Oculus to climb the Wall. I highly recommend this virtual reality experience. It was so lifelike, scary, and amazing! I also was able to do the Oculus inside the Con for Pacific Rim, which was similarly amazing. Virtual Reality is our future!

Comic Con was a great experience and next year I look forward to doing even more and managing my time better because I didn’t get to see and experience everything I wanted. I did have chance encounters twice with actors from Supernatural (Misha Collins and Jared Padalecki, which was cool). And I did see a bunch of great cosplayers – my favorite being Vanellope, from Wreck-It-Ralph. Until next year! …